


The Garbage Princess

by KingOfClubs



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Clem shows up for one sec, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, play, theater play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29228463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingOfClubs/pseuds/KingOfClubs
Summary: “I don’t know how to help. Maybe tomorrow we can do something fun? Like to get your mind off it? Maybe something with Garbage?”Willy thought for a moment, “Maybe… maybe we could try and make a play? Like, we could ask Allison and… and Louis and Renata? It could be fun! Maybe we—”“We need to put her in a dress and make her a pretty pretty princess!”Willy snorted. “Nooo! She’ll hate that. We can put a bow on her though! That might be cute!”“Yeah! Yeah! And maybe you can kiss her! It’ll be so funny!”
Relationships: Allison/Willy (Done Running)
Kudos: 5





	The Garbage Princess

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ericsonclan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/gifts).



Willy sat in his dorm room, AJ asleep in the top bunk, and Garbage underneath his own bed. He sat on his own top bunk and was thinking to himself. It had been a while since he measured himself — or well, Ruby had measured him. He hadn’t really needed to. He was the tallest in the camp, so he never thought much about it.

Last time he was measured he was Mitch’s height before… yeah. It made Willy pretty upset. Him being taller…. taller than Mitch. That just… felt so wrong. Mitch was his big brother, he was supposed to be bigger.

He sighed and climbed out of bed, grabbing a marker from the desk and sneaking out the door. He was going to measure himself again. He tiptoed his way to where most of the kid’s height charts were. Everyone who passed away before the twins painted over. Before the twins “died”, they hadn’t lost anyone in such a long time. There hadn’t really been a need to paint over anyone, and really? They lost the paint. At least according to Willy’s memory.

He sighed, and looked up at his and Mitch’s. Right next to one another. It was heartbreaking, he could tell he was taller than Mitch was, but he took a deep breath and stood up against the wall, uncapped the marker and drew a line on the top of his head. He took a step back and looked at it, squinting.

Yeah. He was taller than Mitch. It looked to be a whole inch from what he could see. His heart sank to his stomach. He closed his eyes when he heard a door creak open, he turned to look at it and saw Renata with a candle, smiling.

“You measuring yourself, tall boy?”

He let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, I wanted to see if I’m taller than Mitch. It looks like I am… Unless he grew between this and when he died...”

“Ah, shit, I’m sorry. You okay?”

“I don’t know. It just… kinda hurts? He should be taller than me. But I’m now taller than he ever was,” he capped the marker and put it in his pocket. “It feels wrong, Renata.”

The girl frowned and walked closer to him, cocking her head. “Do you want a hug?”

“Not really…”

“That’s okay! That’s okay! Do you want advice? Anything?”

Willy crossed his arms. “No, I… I think I just want to try and go to bed. Thank you though, Reanata. It means so much to me, you’re a good friend.”

“Of course! Sleep well, okay? If you do need me, I’m here for you. How ever you stupid you mat think your problem is, I’m always here for ya!” she smiled, and stuck out her tongue.

Willy laughed. “Alright, alright. Thanks,” he patted her on the shoulder before heading back to his room. Garbage hissed loudly before she realized that it was him, and she jumped out from under the bed.

“Hey girl, sorry I scared you, you okay now?” he asked her, bending down to try and pet the feral-ish opossum. 

“Why are you awake?” AJ asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in his bed.

“Oh, hey AJ, I couldn’t go to sleep so I went for a walk around the school. Garbage got a little scared when I came back.” he explained to the other boy. 

AJ yawned loudly. “You sure?”

Willy played with his hands for a little bit before sighing. “I’m just… I figured out that I’m taller than Mitch was when he died. And it’s just making me unreasonably sad? Like, I’ve moved past his death, I mean it still really, really hurts, but like I’ve moved past it. So why this is hurting me so much, I just…” he felt his eyes start to prick up. “I shouldn’t be hurting this much over an inch height difference. I  _ shouldn’t, _ but I am. And it hurts.”

“Will, I just woke up, give me a second.”

Willy’s heart sank once more. AJ was right, yeah… he literally just woke up, and he was spilling his emotions on him. “I’m sorry, I can wait a bit,” he closed the door and walked over to his bed and climbed up the ladder to get in his bed. “Did you sleep well?”

“Well, I mean, for the like four hours that I slept, yeah,” he rubbed his eyes. “I want to go back to bed, but I want to see how you are first. So… you said that you’re an inch taller than Mitch?”

“Yeah, about.”

AJ frowned. “And that makes you sad, because…?”

“I’m almost older than him, but I’m already taller than him? It just feels wrong, he’s my older brother… it just doesn’t feel right.”

“I don’t know how to help. Maybe tomorrow we can do something fun? Like to get your mind off it? Maybe something with Garbage?”

Willy thought for a moment, “Maybe… maybe we could try and make a play? Like, we could ask Allison and… and Louis and Renata? It could be fun! Maybe we—”

“We need to put her in a dress and make her a pretty pretty princess!”

Willy snorted. “Nooo! She’ll hate that. We can put a bow on her though! That might be cute!”

“Yeah! Yeah! And maybe you can kiss her! It’ll be so funny!”

The ideas kept flowing through Willy's mind and he and AJ kept bouncing back ideas, and AJ had started writing things down for the play tomorrow. What they were going to go over with Allison. 

It was a Rapunzel-esque story, Garbage was the princess and Willy had to save her. But there was going to be a huge plot twist that Willy couldn’t wait to show Alison so they could perform for everyone.

The two eventually went back to sleep. Willy didn't have any nightmares, thank god, and woke up peacefully the next morning, hopping on the ladder and sliding down it. 

“AJ! Come on! Let's get the others!”

The younger boy shot out of bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Huh?”

“The play, dummy! Let’s get to it!”

AJ climbed out of bed, grabbing the notebook where he had written all the ideas they had for the play. The two put on their socks and shoes before they ran out of the room and up to Renata and Allison’s room, knocking on the door.

Allison opened the door and looked at Willy. “Hi.”

“Hi Allie! Last night, AJ and I had an amazing idea. We’re gonna put on a play with Garbage! I wanted you and Renata to help us? It’ll be really fun! I promise!”

“What kind of play is it?” Renata asked, getting her shoes on. 

“That can wait until Louis gets here!”

Allison looked up at Renata in uncertainty.

Willy frowned. “Come on, Allie… please? It will be really fun! AJ and I worked really hard to come up with this idea. I really think that you’ll enjoy it!”

Renata rested her hand on Allison’s shoulder. “Come on, if Willy says it will be fun, it’ll probably be fun. We should at least give it a chance to see what type of thing it is.”

“Okay, okay… sure. I’ll join your play.”

“Yes! Thank you so much!” Willy smiled.

“I’ll get Louis, you guys head to the courtyard,” AJ handed Willy the notebook, heading off to Louis and Clem’s room.

“Come on, follow me,” Willy walked out to the courtyard and sat down. Renata tried to entice the boy to talk more about the play, but he kept saying to wait until Louis was there.

And when the man of the hour arrived Willy smiled happily as he began to explain the idea of the play.

Garbage was a princess stuck in a tower, captured by an “evil” lady who took her for no reason, at least no reason to the hero — Willy — knew of. So the story went back and forth between the “evil” lady — Allison — with Garbage and Willy trying to find the castle.

And when they finally get to the castle-tower thing, the hero soon learns that the “evil” lady was not evil at all, and in fact Garbage was her actual child. The king and queen couldn't have a baby of their own so they stole one from a family in order to have an heir to the throne.

And soon the hero and the lady fall in love and live happily ever after.

“Woah, that's an interesting story, Willy! I’m all in!” Louis smiled. “I can help in making some props?”

Willy looked at AJ. “Props? How are we going to do that?”

“We’ll find a way, I’ll help Louis with that. You and Allison work on lines for the story. AJ? You should work with Garbage.”

Willy looked at AJ. “Be nice to her, okay?”

“If she’ll be nice to me.”

Willy huffed and crossed his arms. “Be  _ nice _ .”

“Okay! Okay, I will, I will.” He stood up and headed out to the room where Garbage was. 

Renata and Louis walked off to make the prompts and that left Allison and Willy still at the table. 

“So, any ideas for lines?” Willy smiled, leaning on the top of the table to get closer to Allison. “I can’t really think of things.”

Allison looked down. “Maybe we should ask Aasim, he is good at this stuff…”

“You’re right! He writes all the time, so it would be perfect! But he’s not awake yet…”

“We can try and do stuff on our own until he’s awake?”

Willy opened the pen cap and looked at the notebook. “Okay, so…”

Not much was done, they had an idea for a few lines here and there but in general it wasn't much. After a few hours they only had a few lines down.

Soon enough, Aasim walked over. “What are you two doing?” 

“We’re trying to write a play, can you help us? Please?” Willy smiled.

“Uh, sure. Why not?”

Willy explained the plot of the play and the three of them got to work.

Before they realized, it was already night time, and Louis, Renata, and AJ — holding Garbage — walked back up to them.

“You guys ready?” Renata asked. “Louis and I had managed to make a stage with some wood as well as a castle and a horse, so it’ll be perfect!”

“Yep!” Willy smiled. “And that’s so awesome! This play is going to be great! I’m so excited!” He shook his hands happily.

“Alright, I’ll get everyone to the play! I set the props up in the back, so, go a head and head back there,” Louis said happily.

Allison, AJ and Willy headed back there, and before they knew it everyone was there, sitting on the ground in front of the makeshift stage that Renata and Louis had made. They performed it — pretty badly, but it was all for fun, nothing serious — and once the play was over everyone stood up and clapped their hands.

“You did great, Willy,” Clementine walked over to him. “Mitch would have been proud of you.”

Willy laughed. “He probably would have called it stupid, gave me a noogie, and tell me how great of a job I did.”

“Well I can't give you a noogie, I don’t think I could even reach your head.”

The teen smiled. “Aw, darnit. That sucks.”

“See you at dinner,” Clementine laughed again before walking away and heading over to Louis.

Willy walked over to Allison. “That was fun! Thanks for doing that with me!”

“Renata was right, it was really fun… thanks, Willy,” she stood on the top of her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek.

Once everyone had left to go to dinner Willy just smiled and looked up in the sky.

The play really did help distract Willy from what had happened and he was so happy. He knew he didn’t do a good job and the story was messy, but he had fun making it and performing it, which was all that mattered.

  
  
  
  



End file.
